Ramnagar, November 11: Dalsar Lake also known as Daleshwar Lake is situated nearly 8 km on west from Ramnagar town in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir. As per purans, when Lord Shiva along with Godess Parvati were passing through the area on way to Sudh Mahadev, the latter got thirsty and she requested Lord Shiva to arrange water, but it was not available anywhere nearby.
In the meantime, a pigeon couple nosedived into the earth and disappeared and a fountan of water started showering out of that place and a lake came into existence. As such, many attach spiritual value also to the lake.
In 2000, the local MLA got the administration restore the lake by making its shores pucca, besides constructing structures like a dak bunglow for stay of tourists, swimming pool for children, viewpoints and landscaping among other things.
However, the situation today is that all this infrastructure is in dilapidated condition, with uprooted tiles on the pathways, broken lights on all sides of the lake and smashed window panes of the dak bunglow. The viewpoints are being used by cattle and parthenium grass growing in abundance in areas around the lake.
The lake, at present, had been reduced to almost half of its original area. The lake water has become polluted with local people seen washing clothes on the banks.
All this happened as the infrastructure so developed with public money was not handed over to any government agency for its maintenance. As a result, today there is no one looking after the infrastructure so developed nor there is any attraction left for tourists.
